Harris Affirms Support For Fracking, ‘Consequences’ For Border Crossers

In her first interview as the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris affirmed her support for fracking and a tough stance on border security, including “consequences” for people who cross the U.S. border without authorization.

The left-wing positions Harris took as a presidential candidate in 2019, which her campaign has said she no longer holds, have already been the focus of scrutiny, and CNN’s Dana Bash made sure to press Harris on those points.

Bash asked Harris to confirm what her aides have already said: that she no longer supports banning the natural gas extraction method known as “fracking.”

“I made that clear on the debate stage in 2020 ― that I would not ban fracking. As vice president, I did not ban fracking. As president, I will not ban fracking,” Harris responded, referencing her debate with then-Vice President Mike Pence once she was President Joe Biden’s running mate.

Asked to explain her change of heart, Harris did not go into details, but said simply she no longer sees fracking as incompatible with the country’s climate and renewable energy goals.

“What I have seen is that we can ― we can grow and we can increase a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking,” Harris said.

Harris did not explicitly state whether she no longer believes unauthorized border crossings should be a civil, rather than criminal offense, but suggested she would treat unauthorized immigration as a violation of the law requiring punishment.

“I believe there should be consequences,” Harris said. “We have laws that have to be followed and enforced that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally, and there should be consequences.”

“And let’s be clear, in this race, I’m the